Practice Technology

Patients and physicians report virtual doctor visits done through videoconferencing were similar to face-to-face visits on most measures.

Let's take a look at how a "utopian medical practice" in the not-too-distant future functions from the perspectives of the patient, physician, office staff, nurse, billing department, and referred physician.

If an area hospital has offered to help you purchase an electronic health record system, don't worry about missing out on the potential $44,000 incentive payment from the economic stimulus act.

Practices that aspire to become medical homes are required to set self-and evidence-based standards for access, communication and clinical care, create and document team-based strategies for achieving these standards, and document movement toward achieving standards.

Physicians who visit most of their patients in their homes or nursing homes won't be able to earn the 2 percent bonus for e-prescribing on their Medicare claims, according to the current legislation.

Something has gone awry to create an environment that leaves well-intended physicians victimized when government audits reveal their software systems have allowed-even facilitated-submission of non-compliant and potentially fraudulent claims.

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which promises potential incentives of as much as $64,000 for physicians who adopt an electronic health record system, may have spawned a new cottage industry: EHR selection consultants.

More physician leaders have adopted information technology tools, such as electronic medical records and e-prescribing, than five years ago, but they are generally unsatisfied with the products available.

In what's being touted as a potential game-changer for health information technology, Wal-Mart is entering the business of electronic health records.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom spewed by EHR vendors and the looming mandate presented by the Obama administration, coding claims with electronic health records is not for everyone.

A new computer decision-support tool for physicians can result in more recommendations from specialists being implemented during a patient's hospitalization, according to a study by its developers.

A group of prominent Maryland healthcare institutions has submitted a plan to create a statewide health information exchange that will allow hospitals to share electronic medical records.

Doctors worried about patients trashing their reputations online can now ask them to sign a waiver promising they won't.

Most medication errors in primary care practices are prescribing errors--many of which could be prevented by electronic tools, according to a new study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Federal officials are providing little guidance thus far on how physicians can access funds in the $787 billion federal stimulus package to help offset the cost of buying and implementing electronic health record systems.

Last month, UnitedHealthcare launched a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot project in Arizona with employer IBM, which could boost participants' income by as much as 20 percent on top of their current billings

Medpedia, a free online medical encyclopedia for healthcare professionals and consumers, launched last month with more than 7,000 pages of content contributed by 110 organizations.

The results of a large-scale study that indicated there are health and operational benefits to hospitals that go paperless are likely applicable to outpatient settings, too, says the study's senior author.

Starting in 2011, there could be a total of $44,000 coming your way over the following five years if you choose to adopt an electronic health record system.

The federal government is backing a new pilot website that aims to ease doctors' concerns about security and privacy when sharing health information electronically.

Google's personal health records application beats Microsoft's because it's easier to use, according to participants in an independent study by a user experience research firm.

A recent study of doctors' e-prescribing habits says that the software's accompanying medication safety alerts are so often ignored that the alerts are "more of a nuisance than an asset."

Here are a few tips from the insurer about interacting with patients via e-mail.

One of Washington state's largest health systems is putting $20 million behind the concept of a patient-centered medical home.

With so many vendors and systems, finding the right electronic health record system software is just part of the struggle practices face in the transition from paper to digital.

In an economic speech prior to his inauguration, President Barack Obama endorsed a goal set by the Bush administration of establishing an electronic health record for every patient by 2014.

The early days of the Obama administration give the estimated 83 percent of doctors without an electronic health record system valid reason to sit tight for a while longer.

Two healthcare information technology experts have penned an open letter to President Obama, warning him against investing too many federal dollars in existing electronic health records systems.

The Medical Group Management Association launched a national campaign earlier this month to require health insurance cards to be machine-readable and accepted at every medical practice by 2010.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month granted a two-year deadline extension to 2013 for the transition from ICD-9 codes to the greatly expanded ICD-10 codes.